Self-monitoring and alert system for intelligent vehicle

ABSTRACT

System, method, and computer program product to perform an operation, by, responsive to receiving a vehicle event notification by a computing system in a vehicle, switching the computing system from a sleep mode to an active mode, sending, to a user, a user notification generated responsive to the vehicle event notification, and returning the computing system to the sleep mode.

BACKGROUND

Currently, when vehicles are turned off, they are not configured toprovide information to its owner. As such, the vehicle cannot conveyinformation related to ambient situations to its owner (or other users).Additionally, the vehicle remains unable to take actions in response tocritical situations or user requests.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein include a system, method, and computerprogram product to perform an operation, by, responsive to receiving avehicle event notification by a computing system in a vehicle, switchingthe computing system from a sleep mode to an active mode, sending, to auser by a wireless data connection, a user notification generatedresponsive to the vehicle event notification, and returning thecomputing system to the sleep mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited aspects are attained andcan be understood in detail, a more particular description ofembodiments of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had byreference to the appended drawings.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a logical view of a system forself-monitoring and alert systems for an intelligent vehicle, accordingto one embodiment.

FIGS. 2A-2D are schematics illustrating techniques for self-monitoringand alert systems for an intelligent vehicle, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method to implementself-monitoring and alert systems for an intelligent vehicle, accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system for self-monitoring andalert systems in an intelligent vehicle, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an autonomous system which allowsvehicles to sense events relating to the vehicles themselves and theirsurroundings, communicate with users, and take actions whenevernecessary. In particular, the autonomous system performs such eventsensing even while the vehicle is parked with the engine turned off. Inone embodiment, the autonomous system provides two modes (or states),including a sleep mode and an active mode. While in the sleep mode, thevehicle is in a low-power state, and awaits input events from any numberof event sources. Example event sources include, without limitation,vehicle sensors, vehicle cameras, user requests, application requests,and cloud-based event sources. When the vehicle receives an eventsource, such as a signal from a shock sensor indicating the vehicle hasbeen hit or a signal indicating a collision with an object is imminent,the autonomous system enters the active mode. While processing theevent, the autonomous system may collect any relevant information andsend a notification to the owner. In one embodiment, the autonomoussystem may first determine whether the event is important enough tonotify the owner. The notification may contain an explanation of theevent, as well as audio, pictures, and video captured by the autonomoussystem. The autonomous system may then return to sleep mode once theautonomous system processes the event.

For example, if a shopping cart strikes a parked vehicle in a parkinglot, the shock sensor in the vehicle may send an event signal to theautonomous system, which may be in sleep mode. Upon receiving the eventsignal, the autonomous system may enter the active mode in order toprocess the event signal. If event signal generated by the shock sensorindicates that the force of impact exceeds a predefined threshold, theautonomous system may capture images of the exterior of the vehicle,including the area where the impact occurred. The autonomous system maythen send a notification of the event to the owner (or other users). Forexample, the notification may include the images, a description of theforce of the impact, and may be sent by any communications method,including SMS, email, and social media messaging. If the event signalindicated a much stronger force, such as that typically received duringa collision with another vehicle, the autonomous system may also sendthe notification, along with GPS coordinates, to other entities such asthe police and insurance carriers. Once the autonomous system processesthe event, it returns to the sleep mode.

In addition, the autonomous system may also allow users to access orcommunicate with the car remotely via the Internet. For example, if theuser wishes to check whether the sunroof is open, or they left theirwallet on the front seat, the user may issue a request to the vehiclefor information. Once the request is received, the autonomous system mayenter active mode and process the request. For example, the autonomoussystem may check the status of the sunroof, and close the sunroof if itis open. The autonomous system may also capture images of the vehicleinterior and send the images to the user in order to allow the user todetermine whether the wallet is in the car.

The autonomous system may also take “before and after” photos of thevehicle interior. For example, the system may take a “before” photo ofthe vehicle interior as the driver enters the vehicle and starts thecar. When the driver leaves the car, the system may take an “after”photo of the vehicle interior. The system may then process and comparethe two images in order to detect changes, and notify the user thatobjects may have unintentionally been left behind. For example, if the“after” photo includes an object, such as a wallet or purse, that wasnot in the “before” photo, the system may send a notification (which mayinclude the before and/or after photos) to the user that they left theirwallet or purse in the vehicle.

As used herein, a “vehicle event notification” may include any inputreceived from any number of sources that are directed at a vehicle. Forexample, a “vehicle event notification” may include event notificationsfrom sensors or other instruments in the vehicle, as well as an eventnotification sent via the Internet, such as a “wake up” command. The“vehicle event notification” contemplates any command and otherinstructions issued by a user or application sent via the Internet. A“user notification,” as defined herein, includes any response of anyformat that is generated responsive to a vehicle event notification. Forexample, a “user notification” may include, but is not limited to, aphoto or live video stream of the interior or exterior of a vehicle, anemail, SMS, or picture message, or a telephone call. Generally, the usernotification can provide any type of information in any number offormats.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a logical view of a system 100for self-monitoring and alert systems for an intelligent vehicle,according to one embodiment. The system 100, implemented in a vehicle,is generally configured to operate in two modes, a sleep mode and anactive mode, in order to receive events from one or more event sources,and communicate relevant events to users. As shown, the system includesa number of event sources 101, which include vehicle sensors 102, cloudplatform 103, user requests 104, a timer 105, and other events 106. Thevehicle sensors 102 may include any type of sensor or other input sourcefrom a vehicle, such as a shock sensor, door sensors, and immersionsensors, as well as thermometers and other instruments. The cloudplatform 103 may provide events through push notifications from one ormore cloud-based servers, such as a notification that parking rules in aspace that a vehicle is currently parked in will go into effect at aspecified time in the morning hours, after free overnight parkingexpires.

The cloud platform 103 may leverage any information, including GPS datafrom the vehicle, as well as other information from the Internet and thecloud platform 103, in order to generate event notifications (and lateranalyze events sent by the vehicle to the cloud platform 103). Userrequests 104 may include any type of request issued by a user. The userrequests 104 may be generated through by remote application executing ona smartphone, computer, tablet, or other computing device, and sent tovehicle via the Internet or other network connection. For example, auser request 104 may include a request to take a picture of the externalsurroundings of the vehicle or the interior of the vehicle using one ormore cameras configured to capture photos or video of the interiorand/or exterior of the vehicle. The timer 105 may be a timer internal tothe vehicle, which may be set to send event notifications upon when thetime elapses. For example, if a user provides 30 minutes worth of creditin a parking meter, the timer may be set to 25 minutes, triggering anevent notification when the 25 minute timer elapses. The other events106 include any type of event, presently known or unknown, that may berelevant to a user or the vehicle.

Collectively, the event sources 101 generate event notifications 111that are received by an event receiver 107. The event notifications 111may indicate a type of event, a source of the event, and any otherrelevant information regarding the event. The event receiver 107 isincorporated in logic in the vehicle, and waits for event notifications111 while in sleep mode. As indicated in block 108, when the eventreceiver 107 receives an event notification 111 from an event source101, the system wakes up to active mode and investigates the event. Forexample, the event notification 111 may indicate that the vehicle wasstruck from the rear at a specified force. To investigate the event, thesystem 100 may take photos of the outside of the vehicle in order todetect the cause of the impact, as well as reference the cloud platform103 for other sources of information. At block 109, the system 100 maydetermine whether the event is important enough to report to a driver.In at least some embodiments, a predefined threshold may be defined thatmust be exceeded before sending a notification. For example, an impactthreshold may specify an amount of force that must be exceeded in orderto send a notification to the user, such that trivial impacts, such asthose caused by a person sitting on a bumper, do not triggernotifications. If the threshold is exceeded, the system 100 reports theevent to the driver by any number of communications methods, includingtelephone calls, SMS messages, MMS messages, emails, and the like.

FIG. 2A is a schematic 200 illustrating techniques for self-monitoringand alert systems for an intelligent vehicle, according to oneembodiment. As shown, a vehicle 210 is parked in front of a parkingmeter 211. The vehicle 210, equipped with the autonomous systemdisclosed herein, may send an SMS notification 212 to the user's phone220 when the time before the parking credits in the meter 211 expire.For example, when the user parks the vehicle 210, the autonomous systemmay use the GPS location in order to determine which street the vehicle210 is on. The autonomous system may then identify a parking ruleassociated with the street from the cloud, which may include a maximumparking time. The autonomous system may then set a timer to expire 10minutes prior to the maximum parking time. Any method may be used to setthe timer, including a user-defined timer, or communications between thevehicle 210 and the parking meter 211 allowing the vehicle 210 todetermine how much money the user put in the parking meter 211. When thetimer expires, the timer sends an event notification to the eventreceiver, which sends the notification 212 to the user. In oneembodiment, the autonomous system may send the notification 212 to thecloud, which then forwards (and possibly alters or enhances) thenotification 212 to the user's phone 220.

FIG. 2B is a schematic 201 illustrating techniques for self-monitoringand alert systems for an intelligent vehicle, according to oneembodiment. As shown, a door of vehicle 231 has struck vehicle 232. Ashock sensor in vehicle 232 may register the impact, and send an eventnotification to the event receiver, which wakes the autonomous system tothe active mode. Once in the active state, the autonomous systemprocesses the event notification by taking at least one picture (or asurround view) of the vehicle 232, and generating an SMS notification213 that the user receives on the phone 220. Once the autonomous systemprocesses the event notification, the autonomous system is returned tosleep mode, where it continues to wait for further event notifications.

FIG. 2C is a schematic 202 illustrating techniques for self-monitoringand alert systems for an intelligent vehicle, according to oneembodiment. As shown, the vehicle 240 is surrounded by water. Animmersion sensor in the vehicle 240 may detect rising water, and triggeran event notification, which is sent to the event receiver. The eventreceiver wakes the autonomous system into the active mode, and theautonomous mode may process the event notification. In processing theevent, the autonomous system may connect to the Internet or other datasources in order to determine whether heavy rains or other floodingconditions have been observed in the area around the vehicle 240. Indoing so, the autonomous system may potentially eliminate falsewarnings. If the autonomous system determines that a flood is imminent,it may generate the SMS warning 214, which is then sent to the user'ssmartphone 220 so that the user may move his vehicle. In anotherembodiment, the Internet/cloud data sources may determine that thevehicle is at risk of flood damage, and send a notification to the user.Additionally, the Internet/cloud data sources may send a command to thecar to take an action, such as rolling up all windows and/or closing asunroof, in order to avoid damage from the flood.

FIG. 2D is a schematic 203 illustrating techniques for self-monitoringand alert systems for an intelligent vehicle, according to oneembodiment. As shown, the user has generated a request to view theinterior of a vehicle on the smartphone 220. Once the request is sent,the event receiver in the vehicle wakes the vehicle to the active mode.Once the vehicle is in active mode, it may process the request in orderto determine that the user wishes to view the interior of the vehicle.In response, the autonomous system may take one or more photos of theinterior of the vehicle, and generate a notification 215 which includesthe photos of the interior of the vehicle. The notification 215 may besent to the user, where it is displayed on the smartphone 220.Alternatively or additionally, a live video stream of the interior ofthe vehicle may be sent to the user.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method 300 to implementself-monitoring and alert systems for an intelligent vehicle, accordingto one embodiment. Generally, a vehicle including a system executing thesteps of the method 300 may be aware of itself and its surroundingsthrough the use of one or more sensors, or other input sources, while ina low-power sleep mode. When the system receives an event notification,it enters an active state, processes the event, and may send one or moreusers a notification.

At step 310, a user (or the system) defines one or more events,thresholds, and notifications. For example, a thermometer inside thecabin of a vehicle may be used to monitor the interior temperature ofthe vehicle. A user may specify that if the temperature exceeds 100degrees Fahrenheit, an event notification may be triggered. The user mayalso specify one or more temperature thresholds and an associatednotification for each. For example, if the temperature is between 100and 110 degrees, the system should send an SMS notification. However, ifthe temperature exceeds 110 degrees, the user may specify that thesystem send an SMS and call the user's cell phone. Generally, the method300 may support any type and combination of input source, event, andnotification.

At step 320, the system enters the sleep mode and waits for eventnotifications from the event sources. At step 330, the system enters theactive mode responsive to receiving an event notification. For example,a user or application in the cloud may wake the car to ask what theinternal cabin temperature is. As another example, a door sensor of thecar may report that someone unsuccessfully attempted to open a lockedcar door. At step 340, the system may analyze and process the event.This step may include the system accessing information on the Internet,or in the cloud, to learn more about the reasons for the event. Thesystem itself may also reference internal logic and the data included inthe event notification to determine the reasons for event. Additionally,the system may also gather additional information to process the event,such as taking photos, videos, or sound clips, or retrieving sensor orother data readings in order to report these findings to the user.

At step 350, the system determines whether one or more parameters, or ascore computed for the event exceeds a specified relevance threshold.For example, a user-defined (or cloud-defined) threshold may specifythat more than 3 unsuccessful attempts to open a locked door must bedetected in order to trigger a notification to the user. As anotherexample, an event score threshold may be defined, such that the systemcomputes an event score for each event in order to determine whether theevent score exceeds the event score threshold. For example, the eventscore for attempting to open locked doors may be based on the number oftimes the user unsuccessfully attempted to open the car door, a time ofday, and a location of the vehicle. If multiple attempts are detectedlate at night in an area determined to be of high-crime (based on GPSdata), the score computed may exceed the threshold. If the event doesnot exceed the relevance threshold, the system returns to sleep mode atstep 320. If the event exceeds the relevance threshold, at step 360, thesystem may generate the notification, and send the notification to theuser. In some embodiments, one or more software modules in the cloud maygenerate and/or send the notification to the user. Generally, any formatmay be used for the notification, including email, text message, SMS,MMS, telephone calls, social media services, and the like. Any type ofcontent may be included in the notification. Once the notification issent to the user, the system returns to the sleep mode at step 320.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system 400 for self-monitoringand alert systems in an intelligent vehicle, according to oneembodiment. In one embodiment, the computer 402 is in a vehicle, such asa car, truck, bus, or van. The vehicle may be equipped with one or moreinformation delivery systems (also referred to as an in-vehicleinfotainment (IVI) system). The computer 402 may be powered by adedicated battery (not pictured), which is separate from, and inaddition to, a normal vehicle battery. The dedicated battery may becharged by the engine while the vehicle is operating. If the power levelof the dedicated battery is below a predefined threshold power level,the normal vehicle battery may charge the dedicated battery, even whilethe vehicle is parked and the engine is turned off. The dedicatedbattery, therefore, may be used to power the computer 402 whileoperating in sleep mode and active mode.

The computer 402 may also be connected to other computers via a network430. In general, the network 430 may be a telecommunications networkand/or a wide area network (WAN). In a particular embodiment, thenetwork 430 is the Internet. As shown, the network 430 facilitatescommunication between the computer 402, one or more user devices 450,and a cloud computing environment 460.

The computer 402 generally includes a processor 404 connected via a bus420 to a memory 406, a network interface device 418, a storage 408, aninput device 422, and an output device 424. The computer 402 isgenerally under the control of an operating system (not shown). Examplesof operating systems include both proprietary operating systems anddistributions of open source operating systems. More generally, anyoperating system supporting the functions disclosed herein may be used.The processor 404 is included to be representative of a single CPU,multiple CPUs, a single CPU having multiple processing cores, and thelike. The network interface device 418 may be any type of networkcommunications device allowing the computer 402 to communicate withother computers via the network 430.

The storage 408 may be a persistent storage device. Although the storage408 is shown as a single unit, the storage 408 may be a combination offixed and/or removable storage devices, such as fixed disc drives, solidstate drives, SAN storage, NAS storage, removable memory cards oroptical storage. The memory 406 and the storage 408 may be part of onevirtual address space spanning multiple primary and secondary storagedevices.

The input device 422 may be any device for providing input to thecomputer 402. For example, a keyboard and/or a mouse may be used. Theoutput device 424 may be any device for providing output to a user ofthe computer 402. For example, the output device 424 may be anyconventional display screen or set of speakers. Although shownseparately from the input device 422, the output device 424 and inputdevice 422 may be combined. For example, a display screen with anintegrated touch-screen may be used.

As shown, the memory 406 contains a monitoring application 412, which isan application generally configured to wait for events in a low-powersleep mode and enter a higher-power active mode when receiving an eventnotification. The monitoring application 412 may then process the eventnotification (in at least some embodiments by taking one or moreactions), and send a notification to the user. For example, if animmersion sensor 417 indicates the vehicle is in rising water, themonitoring application 412 may take one or more photos of the car'ssurroundings using the camera 419, and send the photos to the user witha message telling the user to take action. The cameras 419 may providevideo or photos of the interior or exterior of the vehicle.

The event sources sending notifications to the monitoring application412 may be one or more sensors 417 of the vehicle, which may includethermometers, shock sensors, immersion sensors, door sensors, and thelike. The event sources may also be user requests generated from aninstance of the monitoring application 412 on one or more user devices450, such as computers, smartphones, and tablets, or from an instance ofthe monitoring application 412 executing in the cloud 460. Generally,the monitoring application 412 is configured to receive input from anydata source, internal or external to the vehicle. The notifications maybe of any format, and may contain an explanation of the event, as wellas audio, pictures, and video captured by the monitoring application412. The monitoring application 412 may further be configured todetermine whether each event is important (or relevant) enough to notifythe user, in order to avoid sending too many notifications to the user.

The monitoring application 412 may also be configured to “wake up” thecar into active mode at predefined intervals to check certain predefinedstatus indicators or external information from the cloud environment460, and send notifications to the user if relevant. The instances ofthe monitoring application 412 (or other applications) in the cloudenvironment 460 and the user devices 450 may send event notifications tothe car that include requests for the car to take some action. Forexample, the request may specify to close the windows, or to broadcast alive video stream of the exterior surroundings of the vehicle.

As shown, storage 408 contains the event data 413 and user profiles 414.The event data 413 and/or the user profiles 414 may also be stored inthe cloud environment 460 or the user device 450. The event data 413includes information related to different events, such as an eventsource, data included with the event source, thresholds for the event,and any predefined event notifications that the monitoring application412 can send to the user device 450. The user profiles 414 may includedata for users, owners, or drivers of different vehicles, providing forcustomizable events, thresholds, and notifications.

Advantageously, embodiments disclosed herein enable vehicles to monitorthemselves by analyzing incoming events from internal and externalsources, and let users know of the event by sending one or morenotifications. Users may be directly notified any time something happensto trigger an event in the vehicle, even if the car is turned off, andthe user is far away from the car. Users or other applications canaccess or communicate with the vehicle remotely, via the Internet, inorder to check the status of the car.

In the foregoing, reference is made to embodiments of the disclosure.However, it should be understood that the disclosure is not limited tospecific described embodiments. Instead, any combination of the featuresand elements, whether related to different embodiments or not, iscontemplated to implement and practice the disclosure. Furthermore,although embodiments of the disclosure may achieve advantages over otherpossible solutions and/or over the prior art, whether or not aparticular advantage is achieved by a given embodiment is not limitingof the disclosure. Thus, the recited aspects, features, embodiments andadvantages are merely illustrative and are not considered elements orlimitations of the appended claims except where explicitly recited in aclaim(s). Likewise, reference to “the invention” shall not be construedas a generalization of any inventive subject matter disclosed herein andshall not be considered to be an element or limitation of the appendedclaims except where explicitly recited in a claim(s).

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentdisclosure may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may take theform of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent disclosure may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present disclosure are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of thedisclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

Embodiments of the disclosure may be provided to end users through acloud computing infrastructure. Cloud computing generally refers to theprovision of scalable computing resources as a service over a network.More formally, cloud computing may be defined as a computing capabilitythat provides an abstraction between the computing resource and itsunderlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage, networks),enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool ofconfigurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned andreleased with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.Thus, cloud computing allows a user to access virtual computingresources (e.g., storage, data, applications, and even completevirtualized computing systems) in “the cloud,” without regard for theunderlying physical systems (or locations of those systems) used toprovide the computing resources.

Typically, cloud computing resources are provided to a user on apay-per-use basis, where users are charged only for the computingresources actually used (e.g. an amount of storage space consumed by auser or a number of virtualized systems instantiated by the user). Auser can access any of the resources that reside in the cloud at anytime, and from anywhere across the Internet. In context of the presentdisclosure, a user may access applications or related data available inthe cloud. For example, the monitoring application could execute on acomputing system in the cloud and send a notification to one or morevehicles. In such a case, the monitoring application could definedifferent events and store event parameters at a storage location in thecloud. Doing so allows a user to access this information from anycomputing system attached to a network connected to the cloud (e.g., theInternet).

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scopethereof is determined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: in response to receiving avehicle event notification by a computing system in a vehicle, switchingthe computing system from a sleep mode to an active mode; analyzing avehicle event related to the vehicle event notification; determiningthat one or more parameters associated with the vehicle event or a scorecomputed for the vehicle event exceeds a relevance threshold; inresponse, generating a user notification responsive to receiving thevehicle event notification; sending, to a user by a wireless dataconnection, the user notification; and returning the computing system tothe sleep mode.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle eventnotification specifies a request, and analyzing the vehicle eventcomprises processing the request after switching the computing systemfrom the sleep mode to the active mode.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the vehicle event notification is received from an event sourceof the vehicle, wherein the event source comprises at least one of: (i)a sensor, and (ii) a timer, wherein the sensor comprises: (i) a shocksensor, (ii) a door sensor, and (iii) an immersion sensor.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the vehicle event notification is received from auser, wherein the user notification is generated by at least one of acloud-based system and the vehicle.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe vehicle event notification is received from a cloud-based system,wherein the user notification is generated by at least one of thecloud-based system and the vehicle.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe sleep mode comprises a low power mode configured to receive thevehicle event notification, wherein the active mode comprises a powermode higher than the low power mode, wherein the vehicle eventnotification is processed in and the vehicle event is analyzed in theactive mode.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user notificationcomprises at least one of: (i) an email, (ii) an SMS, (iii) aphotograph, (iv) a video, (v) a phone call, (vi) a social media message,(vii) an audio notification, and (viii) a mobile applicationnotification.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle eventcomprises the user entering the vehicle, the method further comprising:taking a first photo of the vehicle interior subsequent to switching thecomputing system to the active mode; and prior to generating the usernotification: taking a second photo of the vehicle interior subsequentto the user exiting the vehicle; and comparing the first photo to thesecond photo to detect an item left by the user in the vehicle, whereinthe user notification comprises a indication that the user left thedetected item in the vehicle.
 9. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium containing computer program code that, when executed by aprocessor, configures the processor to perform the steps of: in responseto receiving a vehicle event by a computing system in a vehicle,switching the computing system from a sleep mode to an active mode;analyzing a vehicle event related to the vehicle event notification;determining that one or more parameters associated with the vehicleevent or a score computed for the vehicle event exceeds a relevancethreshold; sending, to a user by a wireless data connection, a usernotification generated responsive to the vehicle event; and returningthe computing system to the sleep mode.
 10. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the vehicle event specifiesa request, wherein the computer program code configures the processor toprocess the request after switching the computing system from the sleepmode to the active mode.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 9, wherein the vehicle event notification is received from anevent source of the vehicle, wherein the event source comprises at leastone of: (i) a sensor, and (ii) a timer, wherein the sensor comprises:(i) a shock sensor, (ii) a door sensor, and (iii) an immersion sensor.12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein thevehicle event notification is received from a user, wherein the usernotification is generated by at least one of a cloud-based system andthe vehicle.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9,wherein the vehicle event notification is received from a cloud-basedsystem, wherein the user notification is generated by at least one ofthe cloud-based system and the vehicle.
 14. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the sleep mode comprises alow power mode configured to receive the vehicle event, wherein theactive mode comprises a power mode higher than the low power mode,wherein vehicle event notification is processed in and the vehicle eventis analyzed in the active mode.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 9, wherein the user notification comprises at least oneof: (i) an email, (ii) an SMS, (iii) a photograph, (iv) a video, (v) aphone call, (vi) a social media message, (vii) an audio notification,and (viii) a mobile application notification.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the vehicle event comprisesthe user entering the vehicle, wherein the computer program code furtherconfigures the processor to perform the steps of: taking a first photoof the vehicle interior subsequent to switching the computing system tothe active mode; and prior to generating the user notification: taking asecond photo of the vehicle interior subsequent to the user exiting thevehicle; and comparing the first photo to the second photo to detect anitem left by the user in the vehicle, wherein the user notificationcomprises a indication that the user left the detected item in thevehicle.
 17. A vehicle equipped with a computing system, comprising: oneor more computer processors; and a memory containing a program, whichwhen executed by the one or more computer processors, configures the oneor more computer processors to perform an operation comprising: inresponse to receiving a vehicle event notification, switching thecomputing system from a sleep mode to an active mode; analyzing avehicle event related to the vehicle event notification; determiningthat one or more parameters associated with the vehicle event or a scorecomputed for the vehicle event exceeds a relevance threshold; inresponse, generating a user notification responsive to receiving thevehicle event notification; sending, to a user by a wireless dataconnection, the user notification; and returning the computing system tothe sleep mode.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the vehicle eventnotification is received from an event source of the vehicle, whereinthe event source comprises at least one of: (i) a sensor, and (ii) atimer, wherein the sensor comprises: (i) a shock sensor, (ii) a doorsensor, and (iii) an immersion sensor.
 19. The system of claim 17,wherein the vehicle event notification is received from a user, whereinthe user notification is generated by at least one of a cloud-basedsystem and the vehicle.